“The Governess of Penwythe Hall” ~ Book Review

Apr 15, 2019 by Rachel

Welcome back to Rachel’s Back Talk! I’m so glad you could join me again. Today I am reviewing the 1st book of Sarah Ladd’s newest series, The Governess of Penwythe Hall!

As is my custom, if I could ask Sarah one question about The Governess of Penwythe Hall, it would be — “What inspired you to set your new series in Cornwall?” And if you want to know why I asked them, I guess you’ll just have to read the book to find out!

And without further ado, onto Rachel’s Back Talk!

Governess-cover-final-from-BEX1118

From the Back Cover:

Blamed for her husband’s death, Cordelia Greythorne fled Cornwall and accepted a governess position to begin a new life. Years later her employer’s unexpected death and his last request for her to watch over his five children force her to reevaluate. She can’t abandon the children now that they’ve lost both parents, but their new guardian lives at the timeworn Penwythe Hall . . . back on the Cornish coast she’s tried desperately to forget.

Jac Twethewey is determined to revive Penwythe Hall’s once-flourishing apple orchards, and he’ll stop at nothing to see his struggling estate profitable again. He hasn’t heard from his brother in years, so when his nieces, nephews, and their governess arrive unannounced, he battles both grief at his brother’s death and bewilderment over this sudden responsibility. Jac’s priorities shift as the children take up residence in the ancient halls, but their secretive governess—and the mystery shrouding her past—proves to be a disruption to his carefully laid plans.

Rich with family secrets, lingering danger, and the captivating allure of new love, this first book in the Cornwall series introduces us to the Twethewey family and their search for peace, justice, and love on the Cornish coast.

Rachel’s Back Talk:

5 – award winning covers

Such a fabulous story from Sarah Ladd and a great start to a new series! This book was so captivating and took me on such a different direction then where I thought the book was going to go. Plus, the characters became such an endearing part of your life that it was vital to find out what happened to them.

I absolutely loved Cordelia (Delia)!! She was just so complex and Sarah had a way of simply drawing her story out in bits and pieces, just enough to keep us wanting to find out more. Though we saw her in the beginning, filled with fear, as the story went along, you began to see her opening her heart and beginning to trust others to help her. She realized that she didn’t have to be the person everyone claimed she was, but rather could put her past behind her and move on to a brighter future.

And Jac struggled with a same sort of fear. In the same way that Delia had to open her heart to trust again, Jac had to learn to open his heart to let others in. In the blink of an eye, he was no longer just responsible for himself, but he now had to raise his nieces and nephews.

It was a story of second-chances, redemption, and love. It was a story of Delia and Jac, and how they begin to open their hearts again after past heart. It was a story that I can’t wait to read what happens next in the “Cornwall Novels”!

I received a free copy from the author. No review, positive or otherwise, was required — all opinions are my own.

About the Book

Book: The Governess of Penwythe Hall

Author: Sarah Ladd

Genre: Historical Romance

Release Date: April 16, 2019

In the first of a new series from beloved Regency romance author, Sarah Ladd, Delia, a governess to five recently orphaned children, would risk anything to protect them . . . even her heart.

Cornwall was in her blood, and Delia feared she’d never escape its hold.

Cornwall, England, 1811

Blamed for her husband’s death, Cordelia Greythorne fled Cornwall and accepted a governess position to begin a new life. Years later her employer’s unexpected death and his last request to watch over his five children force her to reevaluate. She can’t abandon the children now that they’ve lost both parents, but their new guardian lives at the timeworn Penwythe Hall . . . back on the Cornish coast she tries desperately to forget.

Jac Trethewey is determined to revive Penwythe Hall’s once-flourishing apple orchards, and he’ll stop at nothing to see his struggling estate profitable again. He hasn’t heard from his brother in years, so when his nieces, nephews, and their governess arrive unannounced at Penwythe Hall, he battles both grief of this brother’s death and bewilderment over this sudden responsibility. Jac’s priorities shift as the children take up residence in the ancient halls, but their secretive governess—and the mystery shrouding her past—proves to be a disruption to his carefully laid plans.

Rich with family secrets, lingering danger, and the captivating allure of new love, this first book in the Cornwall Novels series introduces us to the Twethewey family and their search for peace, justice, and love on the Cornish coast.

Click here to purchase your copy.

About the Author

Sarah E. Ladd received the 2011 Genesis Award in historical romance for The Heiress of Winterwood. She is a graduate of Ball State University and has more than ten years of marketing experience. Sarah lives in Indiana with her amazing family and spunky golden retriever. Visit her online at SarahLadd.com; Facebook: SarahLaddAuthor; Twitter: @SarahLaddAuthor.

More About The Governess of Penwythe Hall

5 things to know about Cornwall, England:

Throughout its early history, Cornwall’s inhabitants called the country Kernow.
Early inhabitants largely spoke their own language known as “Cornish,” which became nearly extinct in the 1800s
The country has a long and rugged coastline and there were frequent shipwrecks.
Fishing was a major industry, with herring, mackerel, and sardines being common catches.
In 1870, novelist and poet Thomas Hardy called Cornwall “the region of dream and mystery.”

Imagine yourself in The Governess of Penwythe Hall with these pictures of 19^th Century life in Cornwall

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/gallery/2016/may/19/everyday-life-in-cornwall-captured-in-the-19th-century-in-pictures

Sources:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/cornish_nation_01.shtml

https://www.maritimeheritage.org/ports/Cornwall.html

http://www.cornwallgoodseafoodguide.org.uk/cornish-fishing/history-of-the-cornish-fishing-industry.php